Standing forward bend (or forward fold)

Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

Do: Bend the knees a little bit. This helps draw the hips forward over the ankles. Sometimes that will make people feel as if they're falling forward, but it also engages the muscles in the front of the thigh, in turn lengthening the front of the thigh muscle (the quadriceps) and then the hamstrings. This creates more of a balance.

Do: Bend the knees a little bit. This helps draw the hips forward over the ankles. Sometimes that will make people feel as if they're falling forward, but it also engages the muscles in the front of the thigh, in turn lengthening the front of the thigh muscle (the quadriceps) and then the hamstrings. This creates more of a balance. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Do: Bend the knees a little bit. This helps draw the hips forward over the ankles. Sometimes that will make people feel as if they're falling forward, but it also engages the muscles in the front of the thigh, in turn lengthening the front of the thigh muscle (the quadriceps) and then the hamstrings. This creates more of a balance.